🇲🇷 Mauritania Population 2026

As of 2026, the population of Mauritania is 5,461,319, ranking #123 in the world (0.07% of the global population), based on UN World Population Prospects 2024. The population is growing at 2.69% per year. The biggest city is Nouakchott with 1,184,530 inhabitants.

Live estimate

5,463,884

Growth rate

2.69%

Density

people / km² (14 / mi²)

Median age

17.5

Fertility rate

4.48

births per woman

Life expectancy

69.2

years

Mauritania population 1950–2100

Population of Mauritania, 1950–2100 — solid: UN estimates, dashed: UN medium-variant projection.

By 2050, the population of Mauritania is projected to reach 9,415,598, and 17,118,469 by 2100.

Mauritania population by year

Year	Population	Growth	Density /km²	Median age
2026	5,461,319	2.69%	5.3	17.5
2025	5,315,065	2.74%	5.2	17.4
2024	5,169,395	2.82%	5.0	17.3
2023	5,022,442	2.95%	4.9	17.1
2022	4,875,638	2.98%	4.7	17.0
2021	4,734,874	2.87%	4.6	16.9
2020	4,600,131	2.90%	4.5	16.8
2019	4,467,708	2.94%	4.3	16.8
2018	4,337,685	2.96%	4.2	16.7
2017	4,210,600	2.98%	4.1	16.7
2016	4,086,656	2.99%	4.0	16.7
2015	3,965,959	3.00%	3.8	16.7
2014	3,848,514	3.01%	3.7	16.7
2013	3,734,318	3.02%	3.6	16.7
2012	3,619,034	3.26%	3.5	16.7
2011	3,502,811	3.27%	3.4	16.8
2010	3,390,964	3.22%	3.3	16.7
2009	3,284,448	3.16%	3.2	16.7
2008	3,183,269	3.10%	3.1	16.6
2007	3,093,059	2.65%	3.0	16.5
2006	3,013,660	2.55%	2.9	16.5
2005	2,939,058	2.46%	2.9	16.5
2004	2,868,664	2.39%	2.8	16.6
2003	2,802,046	2.31%	2.7	16.6
2002	2,738,654	2.27%	2.7	16.6
2001	2,678,760	2.15%	2.6	16.6
2000	2,613,442	2.79%	2.5	16.6
1999	2,541,698	2.78%	2.5	16.5
1998	2,474,651	2.57%	2.4	16.4
1997	2,411,306	2.62%	2.3	16.3
1996	2,358,188	1.83%	2.3	16.4
1995	2,312,017	2.13%	2.2	16.5
1994	2,249,454	3.37%	2.2	16.5
1993	2,174,328	3.42%	2.1	16.5
1992	2,088,135	4.70%	2.0	16.3
1991	2,009,738	2.92%	1.9	16.1
1990	1,951,878	2.92%	1.9	16.0
1989	1,903,048	2.14%	1.8	16.0
1988	1,855,859	2.89%	1.8	16.0
1987	1,803,014	2.89%	1.7	16.0
1986	1,751,835	2.87%	1.7	15.9
1985	1,702,107	2.89%	1.7	15.9
1984	1,653,693	2.88%	1.6	15.9
1983	1,606,746	2.88%	1.6	15.8
1982	1,561,176	2.88%	1.5	15.8
1981	1,516,877	2.88%	1.5	15.8
1980	1,474,043	2.85%	1.4	15.8
1979	1,432,758	2.83%	1.4	15.9
1978	1,392,713	2.84%	1.4	15.9
1977	1,353,768	2.83%	1.3	16.0
1976	1,315,336	2.93%	1.3	16.1
1975	1,277,330	2.94%	1.2	16.2
1974	1,240,188	2.97%	1.2	16.3
1973	1,203,838	2.98%	1.2	16.4
1972	1,168,355	3.00%	1.1	16.6
1971	1,133,702	3.02%	1.1	16.7
1970	1,099,806	3.05%	1.1	17.0
1969	1,066,754	3.05%	1.0	17.2
1968	1,034,739	3.04%	1.0	17.4
1967	1,003,843	3.02%	1.0	17.6
1966	974,157	2.98%	0.9	17.7
1965	945,838	2.92%	0.9	17.7
1964	918,955	2.85%	0.9	17.7
1963	893,424	2.79%	0.9	17.7
1962	869,184	2.71%	0.8	17.7
1961	846,166	2.65%	0.8	17.7
1960	824,298	2.58%	0.8	17.7
1959	803,606	2.50%	0.8	17.7
1958	783,996	2.44%	0.8	17.6
1957	765,346	2.38%	0.7	17.6
1956	747,606	2.31%	0.7	17.5
1955	730,724	2.25%	0.7	17.4
1954	714,672	2.19%	0.7	17.3
1953	699,390	2.13%	0.7	17.2
1952	684,804	2.08%	0.7	17.0
1951	670,884	2.03%	0.7	16.9
1950	657,715	1.94%	0.6	16.7

Year	Population	Growth	Density /km²	Median age
2027	5,608,791	2.64%	5.4	17.7
2028	5,757,956	2.61%	5.6	17.8
2029	5,909,196	2.58%	5.7	18.0
2030	6,062,528	2.55%	5.9	18.2
2031	6,217,789	2.51%	6.0	18.4
2032	6,374,846	2.48%	6.2	18.5
2033	6,533,840	2.45%	6.3	18.7
2034	6,694,450	2.41%	6.5	18.9
2035	6,856,318	2.37%	6.7	19.1
2036	7,019,234	2.33%	6.8	19.3
2037	7,183,119	2.29%	7.0	19.5
2038	7,348,364	2.26%	7.1	19.7
2039	7,514,742	2.22%	7.3	19.9
2040	7,681,908	2.18%	7.5	20.1
2041	7,850,223	2.15%	7.6	20.3
2042	8,020,484	2.14%	7.8	20.5
2043	8,192,549	2.11%	7.9	20.7
2044	8,365,182	2.06%	8.1	20.9
2045	8,538,531	2.04%	8.3	21.2
2046	8,713,260	2.01%	8.5	21.4
2047	8,888,481	1.97%	8.6	21.6
2048	9,064,219	1.95%	8.8	21.8
2049	9,240,178	1.90%	9.0	22.1
2050	9,415,598	1.86%	9.1	22.3
2051	9,592,000	1.85%	9.3	22.5
2052	9,769,711	1.82%	9.5	22.8
2053	9,947,450	1.78%	9.7	23.0
2054	10,124,330	1.74%	9.8	23.2
2055	10,300,450	1.71%	10.0	23.5
2056	10,475,608	1.67%	10.2	23.7
2057	10,650,676	1.65%	10.3	24.0
2058	10,827,339	1.64%	10.5	24.2
2059	11,004,482	1.60%	10.7	24.5
2060	11,180,220	1.56%	10.8	24.7
2061	11,355,028	1.54%	11.0	25.0
2062	11,529,734	1.51%	11.2	25.2
2063	11,703,702	1.48%	11.4	25.5
2064	11,877,946	1.48%	11.5	25.7
2065	12,051,735	1.43%	11.7	26.0
2066	12,224,644	1.42%	11.9	26.2
2067	12,397,847	1.40%	12.0	26.5
2068	12,569,361	1.35%	12.2	26.7
2069	12,739,404	1.33%	12.4	27.0
2070	12,908,450	1.30%	12.5	27.2
2071	13,076,824	1.29%	12.7	27.5
2072	13,244,154	1.25%	12.8	27.8
2073	13,409,179	1.22%	13.0	28.0
2074	13,572,516	1.20%	13.2	28.3
2075	13,734,752	1.18%	13.3	28.5
2076	13,895,840	1.15%	13.5	28.8
2077	14,055,488	1.13%	13.6	29.0
2078	14,213,522	1.10%	13.8	29.3
2079	14,368,501	1.06%	13.9	29.5
2080	14,520,791	1.04%	14.1	29.8
2081	14,672,014	1.03%	14.2	30.1
2082	14,821,348	1.00%	14.4	30.3
2083	14,968,968	0.98%	14.5	30.6
2084	15,114,732	0.95%	14.7	30.8
2085	15,257,622	0.93%	14.8	31.1
2086	15,398,692	0.91%	14.9	31.3
2087	15,538,559	0.90%	15.1	31.6
2088	15,676,051	0.87%	15.2	31.8
2089	15,810,312	0.84%	15.3	32.1
2090	15,941,788	0.82%	15.5	32.3
2091	16,071,138	0.80%	15.6	32.6
2092	16,197,736	0.77%	15.7	32.8
2093	16,321,552	0.75%	15.8	33.0
2094	16,443,140	0.73%	16.0	33.3
2095	16,561,438	0.70%	16.1	33.5
2096	16,677,789	0.70%	16.2	33.8
2097	16,792,538	0.67%	16.3	34.0
2098	16,904,645	0.66%	16.4	34.2
2099	17,013,070	0.62%	16.5	34.5
2100	17,118,469	0.61%	16.6	34.7

States & provinces of Mauritania by population

#	State / province	Population	Share
1	Hodh ech Chargui	625,643	11.5%
2	Assaba	451,804	8.3%
3	Gorgol	442,490	8.1%
4	Hodh el Gharbi	403,091	7.4%
5	Brakna	391,310	7.2%
6	Guidimaka	363,075	6.6%
7	Trarza	323,903	5.9%
8	Dakhlet Nouadhibou	184,459	3.4%
9	Tagant	114,760	2.1%
10	Tiris Zemmour	79,129	1.4%
11	Adrar	55,354	1.0%
12	Inchiri	29,484	0.5%

State populations: GeoNames (latest official figures, reference dates vary by country).

Biggest cities in Mauritania

#	City	Region	Population
1	Nouakchott capital	—	1,184,530
2	Nouadhibou	Dakhlet Nouadhibou	146,048
3	Kiffa	Assaba	62,051
4	Dar Naim	Nouakchott North	61,089
5	Néma	Hodh Ech Chargi	60,000
6	Mbera	Hodh Ech Chargi	58,985
7	Ksar	Nouakchott West	57,758
8	Kaédi	Gorgol	56,283
9	Zouérat	Tiris Zemmour	55,183
10	Tevragh Zeina	Nouakchott West	48,093
11	Bougadoum	Hodh Ech Chargi	40,341
12	Sélibaby	Guidimaka	32,653
13	Atar	Adrar	31,133
14	Ayoun El Atrous	Hodh El Gharbi	28,174
15	Guerou	Assaba	27,590

FAQ

What is the population of Mauritania in 2026?

The population of Mauritania is 5,461,319 in 2026, according to UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant).

What is the biggest city in Mauritania?

Nouakchott is the biggest city in Mauritania with 1,184,530 inhabitants and it is also the capital.

Is the population of Mauritania growing or shrinking?

The population of Mauritania is growing at 2.69% per year.

Neighboring countries

Sources

Country data: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved 2026-07-06.
City and state data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-07-06.

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